IRELAND BEAT UAE IN THRILLER

Ireland remain on course for a spot in the quarter finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup after a thrilling run chase saw them defeat the United Arab Emirates by two wickets in Brisbane.

Set to score 279 for victory, the ‘Boys In Green’ triumphed with 4 balls to spare in the battle between the two Associate members in Pool B.

Gary Wilson made 80 and Kevin O’Brien blasted a typically muscular 50 but both had gone by the time George Dockrell lifted a ball over cover for the two needed for victory.

Batting first, after William Porterfield had won the toss and elected to field, the UAE were indebted to a quite brilliant century from Shaiman Anwar to lift their total to 278-9.

Anwar scored 106 from 83 balls before being dismissed by Max Sorensen in the penultimate over of the innings. His knock was a career-best, the first hundred for his country in the World Cup and only the second-ever scored by a UAE batsman in an ODI.

He had arrived at the crease in the 21^st over with the score on 78-4. Khurram Khan made 36 but the chief support for the centurion came from Amjad Javed, with the pair entering the record books for the posting the first seventh wicket stand of over one hundred in World Cup history.

From 131-6 after 35 overs it was a terrific effort from UAE to more than double their score in the remaining overs, with Anwar batting positively and scoring his runs all around the wicket.

He followed his 67 against Zimbabwe in the opening match with another composed effort, reaching his 50 from 51 balls (3x4 1x6) before he accelerated in the closing overs.

Javed fell to Sorensen for 46, breaking the stand at 107 but Mohammad Naveed hung around to enable Anwar to reach three figures from only 79 deliveries (10x4 1x6).

Paul Stirling had taken the first 2 UAE wickets to fall and returned excellent figures of 2-27 from his 10 overs of off spin.

Alex Cusack (2-54), Sorensen (2-60) and Kevin O’Brien (2-61) also picked up a couple of wickets each, although O’Brien only bowled 7 overs and was harshly treated at the back end of the innings where he went for 19 runs in the 48^th over.

Ireland set off in pursuit of the third largest successful chase of all-time at the Gabba but their innings got off to a poor start.

Stirling, so destructive in Ireland’s win over the West Indies last week, edged behind in only the second over of the reply.

Ed Joyce played a scratchy innings by his high standards and had an astonishing stroke of good fortune. He’d made only 16 when he appeared to be bowled by Javed.

The delivery beat him all ends up and clipped the off peg firmly. The illuminated ‘zing’ bail jumped up but landed back cleanly in its groove to the dismay of the bowler.

If that was a case of ‘The Luck of the Irish’ there was nothing fortuitous about the next delivery as Joyce rubbed salt into the wounds with a glorious straight drive for four.

On 32 Joyce survived a caught and bowl chance, with UAE captain Muhammad Tauqir spilling the chip back towards him. He ran out of lives shortly afterwards though, Javed getting his due reward as a thick snick carried to the ‘keeper.

Alarm bells would then have been clanging loudly in the Ireland camp as Tauqir removed two of the big guns in quick succession.

Left-handers Porterfield (37) and Niall O’Brien (17) went, trying to slog sweep the off spinner. The Warwickshire man was bowled, whilst O’Brien unsuccessfully tried to review his lbw decision.

Andy Balbirnie and Wilson consolidated in a well-paced partnership of 74 which ended during the batting powerplay. With the field up, Balbirnie (40) mistimed Naveed to mid off.

Wilson reached his 50 (49 balls 4x4) to leave 95 required from the final 10 overs, a challenge that Kevin O’Brien seemed to fancy achieving on his own.

A couple of lusty blows down the ground got his innings under way but he was dropped on 24, a blow to long off being spilled by sub fielder Nasir Aziz, who had just come onto the field.

Reprieved, the former Notts Outlaw all-rounder helped himself to some easy pickings as nerves began to creep into the minds of the UAE players.

Wides, no-balls, byes and misfields handicapped their chances of winning the game but few attacks would have been able to control O’Brien, who was close to his destructive best.

He smashed Javed for two enormous maximums to bring up his 50 (24 balls 8x4 2x6) but then the momentum shifted back again as he hit the next ball straight to cover.

36 were still needed from 32 balls at that stage. Wilson looked like taking Ireland over the line but he followed John Mooney back to the pavilion with a dozen needed.

It was left to Dockrell and Cusack to eke out the necessary runs and once again ignite jubilant scenes of celebration.

The UAE, for whom Nottinghamshire’s Paul Franks is a member of the coaching staff, will try and bounce back on Saturday, when they face defending champions India in Perth, whilst Ireland’s next match is against South Africa next Tuesday, in Canberra.